Species:
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Cottonmouth
Some other names for this species:
Water Moccasin
Subspecies I've seen:
Subspecies:
Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti
Florida Cottonmouth
April 2, 2011
Loop Road, Big Cypress National Preserve, Collier County, Florida
Few sights are as fine to see as a nice fat motionless snake-shaped object near the edge of a nearly trafficless road. Especially just a few minutes after seeing the same kind of object near the edge of the crazy busy Tamiami Trail, where it was impossible to stop and take photos, even though the desire to stop and take photos was high, because this particular type of fat motionless snake-shaped object was a type heretofore unseen by the observer.
Subspecies:
Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma
Western Cottonmouth
April 23, 2008
Snake Road, La Rue-Pine Hills Ecological Area, Union County, Illinois
Snake Road in extreme southwestern Illinois is a dirt road through a particularly snake-friendly area of Shawnee National Forest. It's positioned between rocky bluffs that offer great winter hibernation nooks and woody wetlands that offer great summer habitat, and vast numbers of snakes head down to the water in the spring, and up to the bluffs in the fall. The road is closed each spring and fall to allow this migration to occur without lots of snakes being squished by traffic. The road is famous to snake lovers all over the country, at least. This was my first visit.
Many different snakes live in the area, but cottonmouths are by far the most commonly seen. I had never seen a cottonmouth in person before, so I certainly admired the quantity. They are venomous snakes, but not aggressive. They seem to greatly enjoy showing off the white insides of their mouths.
The first one we saw was right in the middle of the road, as was another later in the morning. Most of the others were in the water or near the road. The one in the pile of leaves with its mouth wide open was under a log.
